


Hoping as They Fall (Transformers: Prime Platonic Reader Insert)

by CaviarEtiquette



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dimension Travel, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Time Travel, please let me know if there are any tags that i should add
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28825629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaviarEtiquette/pseuds/CaviarEtiquette
Summary: The whole location displacement to halfway across the country and time-traveling to the not so distant past had not been a part of your annual plans to visit your parents. However, you drew the line at the gigantic and fictional transforming robots in the middle of a galactic war.A.k.a a transformers prime reader insert where the reader actually hasn’t watched the show at all.
Relationships: Team Prime (Transformers: Prime) & You
Comments: 33
Kudos: 57





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. This fic has been posted on wattpad under the same username, and it is also my first fanfic that I've ever posted online. I would really appreciate any criticism and feedback on it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and please enjoy.

_Along the desert of Nevada, Arcee was pushing her limit as she raced against the setting sun. Jack held on tightly, heart beating fast and heavy as he saw the outskirts of town. He was grateful that his partner was controlling this time, especially since he could barely find himself to move at all._

_Earlier, they were only supposed to check out a signal that happened to be near the base._

_According to Ratchet, “It’s probably nothing too important, but it’s best that we retrieve it before the Decepticons detect it.”_

_They found it wedged between two rocks, covered in the rust-colored dust like many other things in the desert. Since they were pretty close to a road, Jack decided to hop off and grab the artifact. It looked like a combination between what he thought a steering wheel from an alien spaceship would look like and the groundbridge._

_However, as Jack reached over to grab it, he heard some low resonating ringing, before a beam shot off into the sky like a green firework. From the impact, large gusts of wind carried handfuls of dust, circling around him like a tornado. He had barely heard Arcee call out to him._

_The next moments passed like a forgotten nightmare. He remembered he could not see through the tears as sand and dust blew onto his face and that he was wheezing and coughing. Arcee must have transformed at some point because as soon as the winds began dying down, Jack saw her looming over him protectively._

_“You okay?” She tentatively asked._

_He nodded in response._

_Just as the sand and dust settled, they saw that the light had disappeared, whisking away the object. In its place was a human._

_Slumped over the rocks, they looked like they were sleeping. Besides the dust covering their back, their clothes were still relatively clean and sand free, almost as if they had not been in the sandstorm._

_Jack and Arcee both glanced at each other, before edging closer to get a better look. That’s when they noticed the blood seeping through the fabric._

_They tried to wake the person up, slightly shaking them, calling out to them, and everything in between. Yet, they were met with silence and indifference. Jack was suddenly very aware of his own heartbeat._

_“Arcee, they...they aren’t moving at all.”_

_He saw Arcee’s expression harden. Then, she transformed into her alt-mode and gestured for him to get on._

_“Load them on quickly. We need to get to a human hospital as soon as possible.”_

_Jack nodded. He picked up the person as gently as possible, stumbling a bit before laying them over Arcee. He repositioned them so that they would lean on his back as he rode Arcee. They headed off as if they were fleeing Decepticons._

_They got to Jasper just as the sun’s edges were kissing the horizon, and Jack was able to find the paramedics who were going to transport the unconscious person to the hospital._

_They asked him several questions ranging from who he was, where he found the person, and why he was out in the desert alone. He answered the best he could, trying to follow them in case they were going to say anything relating to the person’s wellbeing. He didn’t learn anything when a paramedic reached out his hand and stopped him._

_“Young man, it’s best if you head back home. We’ll take it over from here,” he said. Jack lingered long enough to see them being carried into the hospital. Behind him, Arcee rolled up as they began trickling back into the building._

_“Come on Jack. It’s already getting dark and your mom is going to worry.”_

_He tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat, slowly nodding as he got back on. As they drove towards his house, he glanced over his shoulder._

_Throughout the night, he could only smell iron fumes._

==

Time passed slowly. 

There seemed to be no end to the blissfully lost feeling you had. 

Sounds and sensations were muffled as you lay content in the nothingness.

There was a steady amount of commotion outside of your unconscious bubble. You were only able to pick out a bare minimum of words that came close enough to the edges, however any attempt to reach out further was always overcome with a wave of fatigue.

Occasionally, you had dreams. Just loose events and feelings carelessly mangled together, like scraps of fabric from over the years sewn together into a misshaped blanket. However, if you were lucky, you could probably find threads anchored to a dream that resonated like a memory.

The exact details of those dreams were fuzzy, the edges of a cloud on a summer’s day or an impressionist painting of a scene you vaguely recognized. Despite this, they had become a source of comfort in this void of yours, and you wrapped yourself in them against the cold and the dark.

Yet, they were getting more vivid, more connected, more recognizable, especially as you were beginning to realize this isn’t where you were supposed to be.

At the moment, you were sitting and moving along to a vague tune, the first things you would recognize as soon as these ‘dreams’ played. Once again, you waited in the cocoon of nothingness as you watched the finer details spring into life.

You felt your fingertips gently grasping the edges of a leather wheel. You saw your eyes reflected through the front-view mirror, wrinkles gently forming from a beaming smile you were sporting. You heard the radio softly churning the notes to your favorite songs.

When the first breeze of air conditioner breathed against your skin, the sensations began to dissipate, disappearing once again into the familiar nothingness.

However, fear persisted as you felt yourself gradually falling. In small bursts, your senses were coming back to you.

You sensed the presence of lost ones reaching to grab you.

You felt the pain, the sorrow, the anger that they emanated.

You heard the thrums of their lives fading as you went past.

You smelled the metal, the ash, the fire.

You tasted the bitter tears and spilt blood.

Finally, you opened your eyes.

==

You woke up in a hospital. 

You were confused as things were moving around and doing things. You recalled staring up at a white ceiling while things beeped and buzzed in the room. 

Then, somebody walked through the thick wooden door. Almost as if the floodgates of a dam were opened, more people had begun filing into the room.

Words and phrases flew past your head, and you barely managed to catch on to anything. You thought you raised your hand slightly in order to get their attention, which seemed to work as someone leaned down and began asking you questions. 

You responded with nods and head shakes. However, you were too drowsy and tired to comprehend what they were saying. You were barely keeping your eyes open at this point, and the only thing you felt you wanted to do was go back asleep. 

Luckily, the questions began to slow down and as you watched all who exited out the door, you felt yourself sinking back into your unconsciousness, sleeping for the first time in what felt like forever.


	2. Troubling Time

_ Agent Fowler couldn’t say he was surprised something like this would happen. Of course, he didn’t expect it, but after some time working with Team Prime he concluded it certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. _

_ As usual, he informed the higher ups and did his best to keep the situation on the down low. Besides the beam that a few residents saw that night, most of the town was practically unaware that something was even happening. While his unit was ordered to investigate their desert person, he would continue trying to prevent the Earth and its protectors from being destroyed. _

_ However, there had been some complications which made his job more difficult than it already was. _

_ For starters, their person had not appeared in any government databases they had access to, with permission or not. Even when his team tried to sweep through once more with extended help, the only thing they got were massive headaches. _

_ Despite being connected to this mess, none of the Autobots could help them either. The most he got was Optimus telling him that they would “gladly assist you in your search, if necessary.” _

_ On top of all of this, he also had to deal with a revived megalomaniac warlord flying residing with his army in the Earth’s atmosphere.  _

_ At this point, the only available solution that wouldn’t waste any more resources was to just ask the person themself. However, it wasn’t like he could waltz into the hospital just because he needed to make his job a bit easier, especially in the condition they had been in the last time he heard. _

_ Except, he could. _

_ On Tuesday, he got an unexpected phone call in the afternoon right as he was dropping in at the Autobot base to see how the team was doing after the whole Bumblebee/Megatron fiasco from last week. At the time, he had been talking to Optimus about future plans that would need to occur. He excused himself and went to pick up his phone. _

_ Turns out, it had been the hospital to which they pleasantly surprised him with the fact that the person had gained consciousness. Additionally, they were recovering exceptionally well to the point where they could probably begin physical therapy within the same week.  _

_ Taking the chance, he scheduled an appointment to meet with the patient on Thursday at noon. Although they were unlikely to go anywhere before or after then, he thought it would be best if he could get as much as he could within the first  _

_ Of course, he wasn’t completely optimistic about what would result from the interview. Cases like these tended to cause more questions than answers that led into some very uncomfortable territory. _

_ He could only hope this wasn’t the case this time around. _

==

It had been 9 o’ clock on a Tuesday morning. Once again, you woke up with a blurry vision, hearing, and head. You were like an old porcelain figure, stiffer than a wooden door and creaking every once in a while. Your mouth was drier than sand, and you had a bad case of morning breath that nearly made you wretch. You felt like somebody had torn you apart atom by atom before forcefully putting you back together. 

Your arm was loosely wrapped in a bandage with IV needles hidden underneath, connected to tubes filled with clear liquids. As usual, a heart monitor was beeping beside your head with a slew of machines you could not name. The white room was dimly lit as the sky outside was covered with clouds.

It had been three days since you initially woke up and this had been the first time you could actually sit up and look around at your surroundings. 

“Shit,” you muttered, running your hand down your face. Even if you didn’t know the exact rate, this stay was definitely not going to be cheap, especially when regular visits were too pricey. It would probably get worse if your parents heard about it. They would have immediately tried to help even if it cost them almost everything.

You grimaced at the thought.

What even happened before you got here? Last thing you remembered was that you were supposed to drive for ten hours to make it to your parent’s apartment up in Massachusetts. You were pretty sure you were already in the car for some time. 

Judging by some of the cuts and bruises, you probably were in a car crash at some point before forgetting about it altogether. It seemed to make a lot of sense and it was the only reasonable explanation you were going to take.

Of course, this meant that you would have to think about car repairs which would be a whole other thing you were going to have to think about as well. 

But hey, at least you probably weren’t that far from your parents and they could probably pick you up as soon as they heard the news, right? 

Maybe, maybe not. You definitely didn’t want to think about it though, so you decided to take a nap. There wasn’t much that you could have done anyways, and you were definitely not going to give up a couple more hours of sleep.

==

_ You didn’t like how organized and vivid this place was. Sure, gigantic white spaces that were quiet enough that you could hear blood being pumped past your ear weren’t high on your list of normal, but this was a bit too realistic compared to what you were used to dreams being. With it being too tame and too calm, some of the red flags were already beginning to sink in. _

_ “This feels a bit too much like a set up to something,” you noted as you squinted to look ahead of you. “There’s not even a horizon over there, it’s just blank.” _

_ You tried walking away, hoping that it would change something. It didn’t seem to work as you weren’t even sure that you were moving. _

_ Then, from behind you, you heard something creak. Just before you could turn around to see what made the noise, you were grabbed and lifted from the ground with four metal rods that clasped around your body. _

_ “Hey!” you yelped as you tried to pry them off. The more you squirmed, the more they seemed to tighten around you.  _

_ As you turned to your captor, you realized you were staring at a metal face. _

_ It was large, easily taller than you were with an angular jawline that could probably slice through paper. There was a sheen that shifted when their brilliant green sea blue eyes moved, and it was all held together by an intricately spiky blue helmet.  _

_ They began to speak in a language that you could not understand. It was in such a low voice that seemed to flow like water despite the sharp clicks and whirls spoken. Yet, despite their calmness, you felt your bearings tighten around your less durable body. _

_ Not wanting to be popped like a balloon, you tried to struggle even more, banging at the sides of the metal with any of your limbs that could still move. Your hands and feet were starting to sting with red and yellow bumps forming all over them. _

_ “Let them go, you microprocessor zealot!” Somebody yelled just before you felt your ribs bending more than they ever should. In a flash, a red arm came through from the right and punched the lights out of your captor’s eyes.  _

_ You felt their grip slack, which let you slide out of their hand. However, you didn’t expect to be lifted as high as you did. Even if you couldn’t see the ground, you knew you were not going down without a scratch. _

_ Just before impact, a gray hand reached out to you. _

==

Your first introduction to Dr. Rodriguez happened later that afternoon. Once again, you had been rising out of sleep, responsive as a husk that had been underground for years. Yet, instead of only being greeted by the plain ceilings and monitors that were surrounding you, you saw a person standing nearby.

She seemed to have been working on something else because she only reacted when she heard the shuffling of sheets as you tried to sit up. 

After a few minutes of asking whether you were doing okay, she introduced herself. She had been your primary doctor since you were brought in and she was going to help you with your recovery plan, something that she wanted to share with you ever since you were beginning to show consciousness.

She detailed the exact treatments you were receiving and the ones you wouldn't need anymore. You nodded along, but you didn't understand what she was saying at all. Most you heard was something about saltines and physical therapy, but you were 90% positive that wasn't what she was talking about.

"-might just move your session to as soon as tomorrow. Is there anything you wanted to ask me?" She asked once she was done.

You thought about it, before deciding to ask her where you were.

"You're in Memorial Hospital in Jasper, Nevada."

_ "...Nevada?" _

"Yes. Is there something wrong?"

You opened your mouth before immediately closing it.

Why were you in Nevada? You hadn’t stepped anywhere near the state in your relatively few years of life and it was well over thousands of miles away from where you were supposed to be. 

You were caught in a loop of trying to figure out what even happened, realizing you were saying anything for a long time, and finding out that you didn’t even know what to say. 

“Is everything alright?” the doctor asked once again, several minutes into your internal panic.

“...No, not really,” you quietly admitted. “This is kind of a weird place for me to be at the moment, and I’m kinda drawing blanks on how to respond.”

“That’s perfectly normal. Even though I don’t know full details of your situation, I’d imagine it’s very stressful.” She lifted a clipboard from the computer monitor. “How about this? Considering that you seem to be fine physically, I’ll just do a quick check and then, I’ll leave you to rest for a bit. Sounds good?”

You nodded, albeit more distracted than you’d like.

The doctor did a few quick tests to test your strength and checked some of the bandages on your body. She asked several questions, but they were easy enough that you could nod or shake your head to answer it.

“You’re healing remarkably well,” she noted as she looked at a ginormous scarring scratch at your side. “If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t have believed the wound you had when you came in would have been the same one.”

Once she was done, she recorded some things on the clipboard and instructed you to relax as much as you could. While it was expected for you to fill out some forms, as long as you finished them by the end of tomorrow you could do them at any point you felt comfortable to. You just had to call for a nurse when you were ready.

When you gave her a thumbs up in confirmation, she left the unit, closing the door with a gentle click. However, after what you had just heard, you weren’t sure if you were tired anymore.

==

_ You blinked several times.  _

_ Yep, you were still in the same blank space that you were in your last dream. To say you didn’t trust it was an understatement. _

_ But hey, at least it was probably going to be a bit different. This time around you had a gigantic red robot next to you with bull horns on their head, not a gigantic blue robot whose first instinct was to grab and curse at you passive aggressively. _

_ And unless everything in your dream talked like The Rock, you were pretty sure you recognized them. _

_ You weren’t sure if you wanted to say ‘hi’ to them or just awkwardly follow them around. You supposed you could probably do both, but your decision was made for you when they turned around and saw you. _

_ “Woah! It’s you!” They exclaimed, to which you waved in response. “What happened back there, bud? One klik you’re about to splatter across the floor and the next you just disappear completely! I didn’t even know your species could do that!” _

_ You shrugged. “It’s pretty normal in our dreams. I don’t know why, but it just happens.” _

_ “...What are you talking about?” _

_ “You know, dreaming. The thing I’m doing right now because I’m sleeping.” They still gave you a confused look, which you expected. “Anyways, since I’m in a mode where I don’t exactly need or want to consider the consequences of my actions, I’m going to thank you for doing that thing in the last dream before the other dude popped me. Also, can I stay with you a bit more? At least until I wake up again?” _

_ “...yeah, sure. Just, uh, just a couple things, first.” _

_ You shrugged again. “Fair enough. What are your terms and conditions?” _

_ “Well, it’s not exactly MY conditions, it’s more like...uh… the rules to this place.” They seemed hesitant to tell you, often looking to the side as if they were looking for something to say.  _

_ “Is this place cursed? Haunted? A bad omen?” you asked, crossing your arms as you tilted your head. _

_ “Eh, not exactly,” they said, scratching the back of their head with their hand. “It’s more like… well, let’s start with this. Right now, you’re in a place called the Well of the Sparks. For us, this is a very special place, but there are conditions that we need to follow in order to get here.” _

_ “Neat. What are those conditions?” _

_ “Well… you know what an afterlife is, right?” _

_ “...why does it matter to this place?” _

_ “...You usually don’t come here unless you’re...dead.” _

==

“Wait, could you repeat that?” Neal, the nurse helping you fill out your personal form, asked as he stopped writing.

You nonchalantly repeated your birthdate, no thinking much of it until you saw the expression on Neal’s face.

“That’s weird. I kinda assumed that you were older, like in your 20s or something. No judgement or anything.”

You mirrored his expression, before responding that you were definitely in your twenties.

“No, you wouldn’t be. You see, if you subtract the current year with the year that you were born, you would be a teenager at most.”

“...what? No, I mean yeah, the method’s right, but if you subtracted the current year by my birthday I would be older than twenty.”

“But look.” He wrote down some dates on a piece of blank paper behind your personal forms, showing you the result when he was done. “See? This is your birthdate year,” he pointed to the bottom date. “And this top one is the current year. Subtract your birthday from it, and this should be your age.”

“Bur that’s not the current year. Last I checked the 2010’s were ending/ended, and I’m pretty sure most people don’t really want to live through the events of this decade again.”

Neal looked at it again, however his eyebrow didn’t go back down. Instead, the other one decided to join it’s twin.

“...how about we leave this section blank for now? Front desk doesn’t really need to know the rest of this stuff and if they do, we can try again, okay?”

As much as you wanted to confirm that you were right, you were getting too exhausted to even think right straight. You conceded and watched as Neal left the room, once again being left alone to your own devices. While you probably should have gone to sleep immediately, your overthinking of the conversation kept you up for the rest of the day.

The calendars that you saw the next day as you went down to your physical therapy session did not help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sometimes you just need to find a way to invent time travel just so you can stared down at your past selves before they do something stupid but since i already put in the effort, i hope that you enjoy this edited version of chapter 2.
> 
> thank you for the kudos. Until next time, take care.


	3. Fowl Moods

_ William Fowler _

_ Special Agent _

_ Unit:E _

_ XXXXX _

_ Jasper, Nevada XXXXX _

_ Agent William Fowler, _

_ Towns near the north end of interstate 95 in Virginia reported an unnatural bright beam of light similar to the one observed last Friday. All reports occurred near the time (L/N) was admitted to the hospital. Investigation was conducted near these sites and we had pinpointed a specific section near XXXXX, Virginia that was unusually close to the highway.  _

_ My team found a small research warehouse in that area, hidden by the flora of the nearby forest that seemed to start growing inside the building itself. While it’s relatively common for certain research labs to be hidden in such a manner, the scale and arrangement of this particular one does not seem to be intentional. A more likely situation would be that the research lab was abandoned for some time, which seems to be confirmed by the outdated software within the building.  _

_ However, there is evidence that the lab has been used or, at least, tampered with. For example, the computer that we brought back has indicated somebody had accessed the system as recently as two days ago.  _

_ At the moment, there have been several obstacles in our investigation. Many rooms were not easily accessible due to the plants that were growing there; others were sealed off so tightly, we could not open the doors without potentially tampering with evidence. As a result, we have yet to investigate further. Until we are provided with the proper resources, the investigation will have to be limited to a select few rooms. _

_ We cannot tell if MECH is directly involved with the incident last week, but the things we have found contain things that the group would be interested in. The files attached will give a more in-depth analysis of the things currently found in the facility, and I urge you to take a look sooner rather than later.  _

_ Sincerely, _

_ XXXXX, Head of Investigations at Unit:E _

==

_ “So basically, what you were trying to say before I left was that I might have been dead? But now you’re saying I’m not?” _

_ “Look, dude, I don’t know,” the robot said as they threw their arms in the air. “You’re the one that keeps disappearing and reappearing at random times. I’m not a scientist or a religious expert so I don’t know how to explain it to you. All I know is that you just shouldn’t be doing that.” _

_ “Yeah, I get it. The connected dreams are starting to get weird. I mean, this place is already kinda not normal, but I could deal with it once or twice. Third time though?” You made a sound similar to a deflating balloon. _

_ “You’re still going on about the dream thing, aren’t you?” _

_ “Considering I’ve only been seeing this place whenever I sleep, yeah.” _

_ They sighed and slumped down into a crossed-legged sitting position, head resting on a clenched fist. You copied them, only to stop when you saw car parts on their chest. _

_ “...Is that a bumper on your chest? And car windows?” _

_ “Hmm?” They looked down to where you were looking. “Oh, yeah. It’s all part of my alt-mode.” _

_ Despite not exactly knowing what that was, you could infer what it meant. _

_ You asked them if they were a transformer, to which they responded with the fact that their species were actually called Cybertronians. They then began talking about some of the things they could do, which ranged from changing which alternate forms they used to being able to travel with the use of portals, and apparently having things called outliers that could do magic or something. One thing led to another and suddenly you were learning about these things called ‘sparks.’ _

_ Apparently, it was an important part of their bodies that functioned like the heart and soul combined. They were mostly big glowy balls of energy with other bits and pieces that made them be able to provide life and all that. When the spark is put out, via death from the body or otherwise, they would come here at this plane of existence which basically served as the afterlife.  _

_ “At least, that’s how I was told,” the robot mentioned. “I think if I wanted to I could choose to leave this place. Don’t exactly know where I would go since that seems to change depending on who you ask.” _

_ You slowly nodded. “So what does that mean for me? By all accounts, I don’t think I should be here, since I’m not really dead nor do I have a spark.” _

_ “Honestly? I’m not sure.” _

_ The rational side of you didn’t want to worry about it. After all, this was only a dream, no matter how detailed and realistic it was becoming. If you wanted, you could probably change things so that it wouldn’t spook you out more. The only reason you didn’t was because you liked your conversation partner and you didn’t want to accidentally make them disappear. _

_ “Hey, what’s your name?” you asked.  _

_ “Why do you ask?” _

_ “I never asked before and in the case that I do disappear again, I’d like to know before I leave, y’know?” _

_ “Fair enough.” They crouched down so that they were closer to your level. “Name’s Cliffjumper. What about you?” _

==

You were sitting in an empty room. One that had chairs, a table, lights, and other things that technically made it not empty, but you were the only one in it at the moment. It was slightly smaller than the ICU unit, and it didn’t seem to be used quite as often. Even though the table and chairs were wiped down, there were still large dust particles that were dancing around like snowflakes under the sunlight. You could even smell them through the overpowering lemon-lime sanitizer scent. 

As the room was illuminated brightly by the rising sun, you had your head down and focused your attention at your legs. Strapped to your ankle, there was a large ice bag which hid your foot from your view. You mentally cursed at the 5-pound weight blocking your path back at the rehabilitation center, especially as the needle-like pain around your ankle was beginning to worsen.

Ah well. At least you got out a bit earlier, meaning you could actually think about what you wanted to talk about during this meeting.

You scratched at the cold bandages underneath and the skin surrounding the ice bag. Despite the forming reddish hue, you could barely feel anything in those areas. You stopped picking at it as your hand was starting to feel the same way too.

You heard a knocking at the door, and you saw a man through the small window on the opposite side. He was wearing an open gray suit with a striped tie sitting cleanly against a crisp dress shirt. Before you could react, the man turned the doorknob and entered the room. In his right hand, there was a large, black suitcase with the name  _ Unit:E _ imprinted at the corner. 

Despite never seeing or talking to this man in your life, you definitely knew who he was. His description matched the one Neal gave to you just as he was escorting you down here. Considering that the room was very tucked in to the back of the hospital, it was unlikely the man was lost.

“Agent Fowler, right?” you asked, putting your leg down on the floor.

“Yes. And you’re (Y/N) (L/N)?”

“That’s me, I think.”

He gave you a concerned look, a bit too similar to the ones your parents may have given you. You forcefully suppressed the weird ache in your chest and focused on the mild fire you were trying to fan.

“So,” you continued, “is there any reason why an agent from a not really known or public organization wants to talk to me? I wanna know what I’m getting myself into before I actually get into it.”

“Well that depends.” He moved to sit on the opposite side of the table. “There is a lot to discuss here today, considering everything that’s happened to you in the last week. All you need to know is that lying will not be in your favor.”

He placed the briefcase onto the table, and, with two satisfying clicks from the metal clamps, he pulled out a stack of papers. You recognized the sheet on top as a photocopied version of the form Neal was filling out several days earlier. However, the sheet was covered in intelligible red markings that reminded you of the corrections your teachers made on your tests. The agent slid it right towards you.

“This is the form that your nurse turned in a couple days ago, correct?” 

You nodded.

“And this is all of your personal information, as accurately as possible? Address, emergency contacts, phone numbers, and all that?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re sure of this? Last time my team checked, they weren’t able to find anybody that could recognize you.”

...

“Nothing? At all?” you asked, any emotion you had being replaced with incredulous skepticism. “Not even a mention from my parents? Even if their kid never leaves their room?”

“We tried looking for them. They don't exist. In fact, most of the people here don't. If they do, they don't even know who you are.” The agent laced his fingers together and held his hands right below his mouth. “Now, I’m not accusing you of anything, but this is highly unusual and concerning. If possible, it’s best to tell us what you know.”

With that, you felt the flame being lit. It was small, barely noticeable if you hadn’t been there when it quietly flickered out, but you could still use it.

“Alright then. I’ll tell you what I know,” you said, straightening in your seat. “In return, I need you to answer some of my questions without dodging them. There are some things I deserve to know as well, and I think this might be my only chance to do so.”

The agent’s stare hardened. “Go ahead,” he responded, stilling as he waited for you. “Ask away.”

==

_ “...And then I accused his organization of being the ones that sent me back in time. It didn’t exactly work out as planned as he didn’t really understand what I meant,” you said to Cliffjumper later that day. “It was super awkward trying to explain to him all the stuff I told you before, and I kinda expected him to tell me to take his questioning seriously. But he didn’t do any of that, so that’s really cool of him. Still was really awkward though, and I didn’t get to know as much as I wanted to.” _

_ Cliffjumper let out an amused huff. “Eh. It happens. At least you didn’t accuse a friend of being a traitor and then have to convince the whole crew that he wasn’t one after you find out he’s been mind-controlled the whole time. At this point, it’s energon in a hot spot and he’s probably forgotten about it.” _

_ You nodded, not exactly looking at him even though you heard everything he said. (Last time you met, Cliffjumper mentioned they were alright with using he/him pronouns as well). _

_ “On the bright side, you’re probably going to be able to leave the hospital soon, right?” _

_ “...yeah. The agent said he was going to help me settle down somewhere for the time being until his superiors gave him orders on what to do. I think I’m getting out by next Monday, according to Dr. Rodriguez.” _

_ “Oh hey! That’s a good thing! You don’t have to stay cooped up on a bed for most of your days, right?” _

_ Well, you hadn’t really been doing that the past couple of days as you were mostly in the rehabilitation center but you appreciated the spirit behind it.  _

_ “Still. Not sure if it’s the fact I’m underreacting at the moment, or if I’m actually just starting to panic, but everything about this doesn’t sit right,” you mentioned. “At this point, I’m not even sure what I should be doing.” _

_ He didn’t have an immediate answer to that. In an attempt to prevent an awkward silence as well as to distract yourself, you asked him how his ‘unlife’ had been like since the last time you popped in.  _

_ “The same old, which does get a bit annoying sometimes. But hey, I guess that means none of my friends have died yet, which is a good thing in my book.” _

_ You didn’t think he’d appreciate it if you tried to push, but you couldn’t think of a proper response that seemed too out of place. As you watched his plastered smile fall off his face, you two lapsed into the same silence you had tried to avoid earlier. _

==

You woke up with a jolt when a splash of sunlight had shone on your face. You looked around the blank room with the confusion of a newborn until you heard something get placed besides your legs. You noticed that it was very warm and soft, and when you reached down to touch it, you realized it was clothing. It felt different from the typical patient wear you had on currently. You looked down and noted that it was a normal and plain set of clothing. By the existence of the tags, you assumed they were brand new. Beside it was a plastic bag filled to the brim.

You looked towards the windowsill, to which you saw Neal standing next to the windowsill with a wide grin brighter than the sunlight coming in. 

“Good morning, (Y/N). How are you feeling?” You gave him a so-so hand gesture before asking him where the clothes came from. 

“Mr. Fowler bought them,” he responded. “Most of the clothes you came in were in less than stellar condition. Of course, if you still want them, they’re in the bag over there. Anyways, Mr. Fowler should be here in several minutes. We should probably meet up with him before then. I’ll be waiting outside while you change, alright?”

You gave him a thumbs up and watched as he left through the door. You stretched out like a cat and let out a roaring yawn before hopping out of the bed and onto your chilled floor. You spent more time ripping off the tags than you did putting on your new clothes, and were able to rejoin Neal five minutes later with a bag in your hand. You were feeling fresher than you had in the past days.

“You okay with walking down there?” Neal asked.

“Yep. No need to worry.”

“Alright. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it.”

The both of you made your ways downstairs, racing towards the bustling cafeteria. You pulled your shirt over your nose to avoid catching a whiff of anything. It didn’t work as much as you hoped.

“Do you want anything to eat right now?” Neal asked, lingering around the place longer than you thought was possible. “We can stop to get some breakfast if you like.”

You shook your head. “Nah, I’m good. I’ll get something to eat later.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Eventually, the both of you made it to the receptionist desk. As usual, Neal greeted the woman behind it with a very bright smile. After exchanging some final words, you watched the nurse head down the halls while you waved. Once he was out of sight, you turned towards the receptionist as you were instructed to fill out several forms before you could leave.

They mostly just called for you to read over some things and fill out your name. By the fifth one, the receptionist accepted those forms before typing at something at her computer.

“Alright, (Y/N), you’re free to go with Mr. Fowler as soon as he gets here,” she said as she looked at her monitor. “Besides some occasional trips to check up on your health, you’re basically free from here. Congratulations on your recovery!”

You thanked her, before you saw a familiar suit out of the corner of your eye. You turned towards the front door, and you saw Agent Fowler walking in. He looked the same as on the day you first saw him, minus the briefcase that was nowhere in sight.

“Mrs. Trench, (Y/N),” he acknowledged as he came closer. 

“Mr. Fowler! Great timing. Everything that needs to be filled out is already filled out, and (Y/N) is free to go with you as long as the both of you don’t have any other questions.”

The agent glanced towards you, and you shook your head.

“I believe the both of us are good to go. Thank you very much for your help.”

“You’re welcome! Have a good day!”

You waved back to her, before seeing Agent Fowler to gesture you to follow him. You jogged over, and the both of you made it to the parking lot where a black car was sitting. 

“Nice ride,” you noted as you hopped into one of the back seats. “What model is this?”

“A Chevy Surburban plus a few adjustments.”

“Neat. Certainly fits the ‘secret government organization’ aesthetic.”

You buckled up your seat belt, and rested your arm against the door. As Agent Fowler began driving, your eyes kept following the room that you stayed at. It was hard to believe you had only stayed there for a week and a half. Even if you didn’t have many bad memories of the place, you weren’t planning on returning to it anytime soon.

You thought back to the conversation you had with Cliffjumper several nights before. You hadn’t seen him since then, at least you had more clarity of what you wanted to do. 

There were still too many questions that needed answers as well as too many questions to be found, but you were going to find them. Even if it was likely going to put you at risk in the near future, it was definitely going to be a step closer to finding out what the hell was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading this mess. as usual, criticism and feedback is appreciated. take care and stay safe.


	4. Moving

“So why am I staying in Jasper?” you asked. The car was turning onto a thinner road surrounded by houses on both sides. “I know it’s near where I was found and all, but it's a bit too in the middle of nowhere. Not that that’s bad, but it doesn’t seem to be the most convenient place to relocate somebody.”

“On the contrary, it’s actually easier for me and my team.”

“Really? How so?”

“Can’t say. It’s classified.”

You huffed. Of course.

As you stared at the passing homes through the window, you tapped against the window switch. The plastic created a very clean clicking sound.

“Can I make a couple guesses?” 

“You could. You won’t get it right though.”

“You didn’t even get to hear what I have to say.”

“Do you even have anything?”

You opened your mouth, before closing it again.

“Thought so.”

You huffed and slumped further down in your seat and the both of you returned to the silence that had lasted the majority of the ride.

Eventually, the car began to slow down in front of a set of salmon buildings similar to that of the desert under a sunset. Agent Fowler parked in front of one of the rectangular buildings jutting in front of the others. He exited the car, gesturing for you to do the same.

As you stepped out, you stretched your arms, letting out a silent yawn. The warm temperature greeted you, and it felt like you were standing next to a preheated oven. You stopped when you heard a car door slam behind you. 

The both of you entered the building through a creaky white door that stubbornly stayed open. Inside, there was an opaque green and blue swirl pattern that seemed to cover the floor with white walls that looked like barely frosted cake. Embedded in these walls were two doors with metallic plates reading 44a and 44b with their respective mailboxes next to them. Next to room 44b, there was an unpainted staircase covered with an ugly black rug leading to the second floor. 

You followed the agent as he headed upstairs. The stairs whined and shrieked underneath the weight of both of you. The smell of unpolished wood seemed to follow.

“This should be your new apartment,” Agent Fowler said as he pointed to a door labeled 44d, taking out a key from his pant pocket. “Not the fanciest, but suitable for our current needs.”

It was a tiny place, only really suited for one person. It had your bare essential rooms: a kitchen, a bedroom, and a bathroom, as well as several closets placed for your convenience. It looked better in the pictures that the agent showed you days before, as the furniture had looked newer and cleaner in comparison to the ones you were looking at. You were also seeing dust and cracks that weren’t shown to you before.

“Well, it’s better than my old apartment,” you said as you headed into the bedroom. There was a small double sized bedframe with a thick, fluffy looking mattress on top. There weren’t any coverings or pillows on it yet, but that didn’t seem to matter as you flung yourself on it. It was still soft enough for you to sink and fall asleep on if given the chance. Compared to the hospital beds you had slept in hours before, this was a heaven as long as you ignored the dull pain on your chest.

The agent coughed.

“Anyways, there are several things I need to give you before I go.”

As you turned around to face him, the agent dug into his pockets and pulled out a blue debit card. He handed it to you.

“You can use the card to buy anything you need for the time being. There should be enough for essentials and more, but those purchases will be monitored. If, for some reason, you need anything, you can call me. However, I can’t guarantee all of your requests are going to be fulfilled.”

You shrugged. “It’s fine. Anything else I need to know or have?”

“A couple more things.” He handed you a silver flip phone and the key. “The phone should have my phone number already, and the keys are self-explanatory. Any questions?”

You shook your head. “I’m good for now.”

He nodded, before straightening his suit. “Do not hesitate to call me if you need anything.”

With that, the agent began heading off. You waved to him as he walked downstairs, before returning to the apartment. 

Now that it was quiet, you noticed that you could hear cars driving by on the highway nearby. While quiet, it was somewhat comforting to be able to hear a familiar sound that wasn’t silence.

You placed the items the agent gave you into your pockets. After making sure they wouldn’t fall out as you walked, you went to the bathroom.

A familiar, handsome beast in the mirror returned the neutral frown you gave them. After they fixed themselves up a bit, you grinned at them and left the apartment.

==

Jasper had been small enough that you could see the opposite ends of town from anywhere you stood. It was also a lot quieter, as there weren’t many people out at this hour. Even though you blindly wandered around town, you still managed to find the stores rather quickly. You expected to get your shopping done in under twenty minutes.

However, as you began surfing through the shelves, you realized that you needed more than just food to last you through the week. So, you began searching for other essentials: shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, bandages, and anything else that may be useful. You also bought extra pairs of clothes as you would prefer not to wear the same thing everyday. 

Two hours later, you burst into the apartment with armfuls of grocery bags dangling below, sweating and panting heavily with a flushed face. In your pocket sat a new wallet with a card and several crumpled bills in it.

You closed the door with your leg and threw the bags onto the kitchen table that was luckily within a safe throwing range. Once your arms were freed from the plastic weights, you slumped against the front door. You needed a break before you could do anything else.

You instinctively reached into your pocket for your phone, hoping to scroll through something to distract yourself. However, where the usual flat, rectangular device would have sat was replaced by a bulkier, pod-shaped object.

You glanced at the flip-phone. It was similar to the hand down one your parents gave you when you were entering middle school, though it had more functions than your old phone did. For one, the upper lid had screens on both sides, with the outer screen presenting the current time. Still, there wasn’t much you could do with it. 

You sighed, putting the phone back in your pocket before resting your head against the door. If you had closed your eyes, you might have lulled into a light nap.

It still hadn’t sunk in that you were in a different time period. Granted, you weren’t really around things that screamed it at the hospital, but the differences were definitely going to be jarring. You really weren’t ready to see things that have already happened in the near future. 

You stood up. You definitely weren’t ready to be weirded out even more as there were better times to do it. One of those times was certainly not when you still had groceries out in the open.

You began taking out the items from the bags until all you had was a large, crinkly ball of plastic. You tossed it into a drawer next to the sink, to which they separated like a ramen brick in boiling water as soon as they were freed from your grasp. 

In the next hour, you walked around the apartment with mountains of items in your hands, threatening to topple every step you took, before unceremoniously throwing them onto the ground and putting them behind any door that wasn’t the front door; the kitchen refrigerator and drawers were filled with foods and cooking utensils that you were definitely going to use during your temporary stay, and the cabinet under the bathroom sink was filled with anything that could reasonably be found in a bathroom. Everything else was haphazardly thrown into the closet in the hall.

Once you were done, you collapsed onto the couch, ignoring the aching singe across your chest. The temptation of rest brushed its hands across your drooping eyes, but you shoved it off as you got up again. Considering that you really only ate several pieces of fruit and nearly spoiled beverages at the hospital, you were definitely going to cook something that wasn't a questionable slop. Only then would you take that nap you were desperately craving.

==

_ When your cousin asked you to help him move last summer, you had expected to see some boxes of figurines that he collected over the years. You knew this had been his hobby ever since you knew him. _

_ However, there were more than you had expected. The boxes themselves were already pretty massive as they could barely fit through the door through the apartment. The fact that there were enough boxes that could be stacked on top of each other to reach the top of the moving truck’s roof was impressive. _

_ “The number of Optimus Primes you have in your collection is worrying,” you noted as you carried another box full of figurines up the flight of stairs. “Knowing how much these suckers cost, I’m starting to think you committed an Optimus Crime to get these.” _

_ “First of all, screw you. Second, they’re not all Optimus. Third, your parents were the one who collected this lot,” you cousin retorted ahead of you. _

_ “That’s a lie,” you said as the both of you reached the third floor. You took out one of the freed figures from the box. “I gave you two of these for Christmas, and I only saw two Optimii in their collection. I didn’t even know these ones existed until you asked me to help you move.” _

_ “Well then your memory is shit.” Your cousin opened the door with his foot, revealing a room filled with sitting cardboard boxes that had yet to be open. “Also, the one you’re holding isn’t even Optimus.” _

_ You looked at the green figure in your hand. “Ah, right. I guess this one is just Optimus Lime.” _

_ You laughed as your cousin groaned into the box he was carrying. _

_ “I’m starting to regret letting you come,” he said as he placed his box down onto the table, to which you copied.  _

_ “And let yourself sort out your own Optimus Grime?” _

_ He stopped, before slowly turning towards you. “I’ll give you a five second head start.” _

_ You swiftly descended down the stairs, giggling hysterically as you saw your cousin out of the corner of your eye at every turn you made. You could practically hear him breathing right behind you as you were chased towards the moving truck. Yet, just as you were supposed to gently slam into the truck, the half-full streets began to shift. _

_ Just like a tsunami wave, the roads began folding over you, bringing alongside the buildings and apartments into gigantic arches. They were molding together into one solid subject, a dull sheen laying against a duller color and creaking like a rusted bridge. As your eyes followed this transformation, you realized this was mirrored to your other side.  _

_ Suddenly, you tripped.  _

_ You flailed your arms as you fruitlessly tried to balance yourself before your eventual impact onto the floor. Just as you shut your eyes, two pairs of hands caught you.  _

_ Yet, they didn’t help you up to your feet, opting to drag you across a metal floor. Their grip felt like they were clawing into your arms, enough to prevent you from escaping even as you tried to shake them off.  _

_ You tried to look at your confiners, but the most you could make out were two tall beings. They blended very well with the dark hallway hanging over and you would have likely not seen them had it not been for the red visors glowing in contrast. _

_ Once again, your body was in pain. However, it was very unlike the pain you felt when you first woke up in the hospital. It was almost like you had been in a fist fight and your opponent just happened to bring a knife and stab you passionately. _

_ Your eyes felt funny as well. There was a small pushing pressure all around, and as you tried to blink, you felt that your eyes press deeper into your face.  _

_ Your captors dragged you onto a platform which began to rise. You squinted, wincing at the sudden pressure, as you entered a room illuminated by a large magenta overhead light.  _

_ In front of you was the silhouette of a figure, taller than you by at least two times and with wings the size of a fighter jet. They turned around, revealing red eyes that stared down at you, a cobra waiting to strike. The back of your mind, which felt too distant to be you, thought they kinda looked like a moth with long legs.  _

_ The way that light seemed to bounce off of them made you suspect they might have both been made out of metal. You should have wondered how that worked, but you didn’t. _

_ This was when you realized there were cracks in your vision. Like, actual cracks on glass panes as the light from the screens behind them were basically dancing into lightning patterns around the edges of your eye. Had your eyes been shattered? It would explain why you could barely see anything at the moment. _

_ You called out a name in a cocky voice that was masking the fear in your chest. Yet, you did not recognize what you had just said, nor the one who was standing in front of you. The voice was not your own, no matter how familiar it was. _

_ Then, you spoke some more. Despite not knowing the language itself, you still understood what had been said.  _

_ “It’s been a while.” You paused to cough. “So, where’s your master?” _

_ The metal moth person had responded quickly. They smirked as they referred to themself as their own master.  _

_ Before you could react or process those words, sharp talons were thrusted into your chest. _

==

You jumped out of your bed. 

You scanned the room for any signs of those glaring siren lights of eyes from above you. Your heart was pounding hard and you felt adrenaline course through your body. It took you a moment to recognize you were somewhere completely different.

Right. You were in Jasper, sitting alone in the dark with a near empty room with a bed and a flip phone. Not in the sunny parking lot with a moving truck and helping your cousin carry boxes to his new apartment, and not in a gigantic, metallic room with a gigantic robot staring down at you.

You reached to touch the bottom of your left rib cage, and let out a sigh of relief when there was only skin in place. You laid back down and stared up at the dark ceiling.

_ Well I’m not tired anymore _ , you decided to yourself as you let out another shaky breath. The only time you felt anything similar to that was when that one bot tried to squeeze you to death. Even then, you didn’t actually get that hurt and you had Cliffjumper there to help you out.

Your mind wandered to Cliffjumper, seeing as it had been days since you last saw him. You wondered how he was doing right now or if he knew about any of this. Or maybe he didn’t. It wasn’t like he was real or anything. 

You grabbed your flip phone as you hobbled your way to the bathroom. The sudden yellow light blinded you a bit before you could actually see anything, so you squinted at the phone when checking the time.

1:00 AM. Pretty obvious, considering it’s still dark outside. It would have been less of a problem if you had something to do.

“You know what? How safe is Jasper at night?” You muttered to yourself as you headed back into your room. “It’s a small town, probably pretty easy to guess who kidnapped or killed me. Besides, Agent Fowler says he’s got people watching me, right? They probably wouldn’t let me die.”

You got dressed pretty quickly before heading downstairs. It was way chillier than when the sun was up, but you could deal with it if you walked around enough. 

There was no light besides the ones from the rows of street lamps spread sparsely on the street. As you stalked past them and the houses behind, your steps echoed back to you. 

The moon was barely a sliver in the sky, barely a sickle to cut through the darkness that was around you. The stars around had to work to fill in for that. You could see them twinkling the brighter they shined. 

“Now would honestly be a great time to shank me,” you noted, shuffling farther away from the streetlights. “No witnesses, no security cameras, actually there is a camera right there so maybe not the best time. Or maybe it is. I don’t know.”

Maybe you would look at the stars for the next couple of hours, or maybe you would walk around town like an unbound ghost. Just anything that could permanently steer your mind away for a couple more hours.

You walked down the road, hugging yourself tighter against flowing winds that had chilled your fingers and toes. You made a turn down a road, expectedly given the same sights as before.

You were surprised to see a purple car at the other end of the street, which slowed to a halt as soon as you stepped from the corner. 

Alright, not a big deal. It’s likely another person who was out for whatever reason, just like you were out earlier. If it bothered you so much, you could probably just go back to the area with the camera and hang around there until you were ready to go back. 

Not that you were bothered or anything. You just didn’t trust it.

==

_ “Hello? Agent Fowler speaking.” _

“Hey, Agent Fowler, this is (Y/N). Do you have a minute?”

_ “...that depends. Is there something wrong?” _

“Probably not. Just wanted to ask a quick question.”

_ “Alright then, go ahead.” _

“Do you know anything about this purple car around town? A bit boxy, linear headlights, with the rear wing?”

_ “Maybe. Why do you ask?” _

“No reason. Just wanted to know. Thanks for your time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading. as always, criticism and feedback is appreciated. Until next time, stay safe and take care.


End file.
